A Biography of William Oliphant Sr. and William Oliphant Jr....as written by Laurel Oliphant...

William “Bill” Oliphant Sr. was born on June 13,1893 in Cupar, Fife, Scotland. As a young man, Bill qualified as a plumber and steamfitter and was a member of The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment). He married Jean “Jeannie” Davidson and, along with their first child Andrew, known as “Sonny”, the couple immigrated to Toronto in 1912. Interested in physical fitness since boyhood (his grandfather was a Strongman), Bill decided to open a gym instead of pursuing his previous occupation.The Oliphant Academy of Physical Culture was founded in 1913. It moved from Spadina Avenue to 648 Bloor Street West in 1922, where it was a landmark for 53 years. It was above this gym that Bill and Jeannie’s other four children, Bus, Jack, Jessie and Hugh, were born and raised along with Sonny. The children were talented athletes, particularly Jack, and everyone was involved in some way with the family business. Bill was very influential in the early days of weightlifting and bodybuilding in North America and organized and officiated at the North American Weightlifting Championships at the CNE for many years. He was a renowned physical culturalist and was “not only the most influential factor for barbellism in Canada, but ranks as one of the foremost instructors teaching within the British Empire” (The Body Builder, June 1936). He was a frequent contributor to strength and health magazines and his philosophy and training methods were published alongside those of well-known experts such as Joe Weider and George Jowett. Bill was also credited with developing some of Canada’s most famous athletes of the day. William (Buster “Bus”) Oliphant Jr. was born in Toronto on August 27, 1914. At the age of 18, Bus began instructing weightlifting part-time. In the thirties, some of the most dedicated members of the gym were women and Bus’s sister Jessie was among those who took an interest in physical fitness. She instructed weightlifting full-time in the gym while Bus was away in the army during WWII. Jessie was reputed to be just as tough a disciplinarian as her father. Hugh, the youngest of the five children, also worked at the gym, and became a licensed massage therapist after serving in the navy. Bus returned to Toronto after the war and studied physiotherapy for two years. His father Bill passed away in 1947, ultimately overcome by injuries sustained during WWI, and Bus took over the running of the gym. Common to both father and son was their thorough knowledge of physical conditioning. What William developed, Buster refined, applying his own philosophy to the discipline of bodybuilding. He would say, “Weights are the best pills in the world”.

Over the years their knowledge attracted professional athletes from the Toronto Maple Leafs, including Jimmy Fowler, Gus Bodnar, Ron Ellis, Hugh Bolton, Bobby Baun, Brit Selby, Cal “Pearly” Gardner, and NHL Hall of Fame players like Clarence “Hap” Day, Reginald “Red” Horner, George “Chief” Armstrong, Ted “Teeder” Kennedy, and Tim Horton. Mike Gillis of the Colorado Rockies and Pat Graham of the Pittsburgh Penguins also trained there. A similar list of Canadian Football League players worked out at the gym, including Marv Luster, Dick Aldridge, Bill Symons, and Dick Shatto. Of course these lists are incomplete because the gym’s clientele also included everyday people. For members of all ages and backgrounds, the gym became a haven away from the pressures of the busy world. Oliphant’s gym was open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm for the regular clientele, and Bus and his wife Shirley cleaned the gym on Tuesday and Thursday. For many years, the gym was open on Saturday for women only. A licensed physiotherapist, Bus also worked with children with physical and mental difficulties on his days off and weekends. In the early sixties, Ralph Fisher brought his son Jeff to the gym for help. Jeff had coordination problems that medical specialists said could not be helped and would only get worse. Bus set up a series of special exercises that over the years transformed Jeff so that he was able to function normally. As a result, Bus put together a comprehensive booklet on the methods used with Jeff and was asked to present it to various physiotherapy bodies in Canada and the USA. He spent a lot of time developing exercises for other children with special needs at Bloorview Children’s Hospital. The Oliphant Academy of Physical Culture was a unique establishment. There were no plush carpets, no sauna, no swimming pool, and there was only one shower with lineups. There were no annual membership fees; you paid $2 for a work out and towels were extra if you showered. If you didn’t come to work out, you didn’t pay. Bus was an exceptional individual who was never interested in making money. No one else could bring together such a diverse group of people from every walk of life while creating an atmosphere of complete equality and loyalty to the gym and to each other. In the gym you could see a judge helping spot an ex-con on the bench press, a doctor asking Bus for advice on an exercise for his bursitis because he was tired of taking cortisone shorts, or a multi-millionaire businessman giving a young person advising a young person on how to start a business. Bus and the gym were the “equalizers”. Everyone was treated the same and he remembered every time someone missed a work out. Skip one and Bus would make you feel guilty in his own inimitable way. It was an environment that encouraged friendships, many of which last to this day. Obviously, the key to the gym’s success was Buster Oliphant himself. Bus was one of a kind, with good humour and kindness for everyone, and his personality was the biggest asset of the gym. Bus was referred to as “the Coach” and he made sure he learned a few x-rated words in every language. He would then use them, kiddingly, on unsuspecting members with the appropriate heritage - usually as they were struggling with their last bench press repetition. Throughout its history, the gym was a place where people from Toronto’s many ethnic and religious communities were welcomed, long before the city became known for its acceptance of diversity.

There were little things everyone knew and loved about Bus: his gym clock on the wall was perpetually 20 minutes fast, he would playfully offer to give anyone who walked on the clean white linen covered mats a “haircut” and, most remarkably, he remembered the first name of everyone who came in the gym. Everyone called Buster “Bus” and his wife Shirley was “Shirl”. She was a charming lady and would make tea for Bus and anyone else, and worked alongside her husband through all their years together, contributing to its smooth running and special atmosphere. Their daughter Kim grew up around the gym and carried on the family tradition by pursuing a degree in Kinesiology. Tradition has always been a big part of the gym - the barbells that are used today have been around for at least 100 years, and many of them bear the Oliphant name. In 1975 Oliphant’s Gym moved briefly to Weston Road on the second floor of an industrial building. In 1980 the gym moved once again, this time to its current location at 501 Dupont Street just west of Bathurst Street, where it remains open after 100 years in business. Also in 1975, after decades of commitment to the physical health and wellbeing of others, Bus had his first heart attack. He recovered, but three years later Bus checked himself into the intensive care floor of Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. His doctors told him this second heart attack should have killed him. What happened at the gym in the months following each heart attack was a tribute to both the Oliphant’s years of dedication to others. The gym didn’t falter for a day. Experienced regulars who knew the routines would start new customers. Others contributed their time and effort to running the gym. The Buster Oliphant Reunion was held on May 14, 1985 at The Underground Railroad Restaurant. The reunion was carefully planned and organized in a way acceptable to Bus, who only agreed on the condition that it would be a non-profit event and that everyone, afford it or not, could come. John Henry Jackson, owner of the restaurant, former Oliphanter and old footballer, closed for the day to accommodate the event which was attended by over 300 alumni, family and friends. It was a great success and, in spite of the promise and all the planning, the reunion ended up with a surplus, which was presented to Bus as a way of recognizing the impact he and the gym had on so many lives. Bus continued to run the gym until March 26, 1995 when a third heart attack claimed his life. In 1990 a member of the gym, Michael Copeman, produced the movie “Down and Drive It”. It is an inspirational documentary portrait of the 75 year old weight trainer, Buster Oliphant, and one of Canada’s oldest gyms. Michael states, “They don’t make gyms like this anymore and they don’t make trainers like Buster.” The movie has been uploaded on YouTube and can be seen by clicking on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGQwZLPb1dkThe Oliphant legend carries on! Having touched so many people through the hard work and dedication of both William “Bill” Oliphant Sr. and William “Buster” Oliphant Jr., The Oliphant Academy of Physical Culture was adopted by a dedicated group of members who operate and maintain the gym to this day. The gym now has an honour system for signing in, a posted membership list, and is open 7 days a week from 6am to midnight.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Both the original gym at 648 Bloor Street West and the current location at 501 Dupont Street are in Seaton Village and an initiative to name the lane behind the original gym “William Oliphant Lane” in honour of both William Oliphant Sr. and Jr. has the support of the Seaton Village Residents Association.

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